Unconventional Behavior
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: After helping him with his latest research project, Professor Oak invites Delia to the Pokemon Biology Conference, where things get a little crazy.
1. Chapter 1

"Why did you want us to come over, Professor Oak?" Ash Ketchum asked as he, Misty, and Brock entered the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory.

"Ah, there you all are," Professor Oak smiled at his young visitors. "The reason I asked you to come over is because I need your help for my latest research."

"We'll be glad to help you in any way we can, Professor," Misty replied eagerly as Togepi chirruped happily in her arms.

"What's your research about?" asked Brock.

"As all of you know, my primary research interest is the human- Pokémon bond," Professor Oak explained as he began programming a machine sitting on a nearby lab table. "I have a hypothesis that Pokémon and trainers that share a strong bond also share similar physiological parameters. The Pokémon and its trainer are so interconnected that they function as one both mentally and physically."

"Which means, in plain English?" a confused Ash asked, overwhelmed by the scientific jargon.

"It means that Pokémon and trainers that share a strong bond work as one," Professor Oak smiled.

"That's true," Misty agreed. "Sometimes it seems like I know exactly what Goldeen is thinking, and sometimes it seems like Goldeen knows what I'm going to command before I even say it."

"That's exactly what I mean, Misty" Professor Oak said enthusiastically. "You and Goldeen share such a strong bond that you work together as one."

"So how can we help you, Professor?" Brock asked as he curiously studied the machine that Professor Oak was attempting to program.

"Well, the physiologic parameter I'm currently exploring is brain waves. I have a hypothesis that humans and Pokémon that share a strong bond will have similar electroencephalograms under certain conditions." Professor Oak held up a mass of wires and electrodes. "So who's going to be my first volunteer?"

The three friends gulped anxiously.

"Uh, I think I'll pass," Brock declined.

"Ash can go first," Misty volunteered quickly as she pointed in his direction.

"No way!" Ash said as he began to back out the door. 

"Oh, come on," said Professor Oak. "An EEG doesn't hurt."

The three youths stared at him skeptically.

Professor Oak sighed. "All right, I'll prove it to you. Tracey, can you come here for a minute?"

His young assistant looked up from the Weedle that he was feeding and came over to his boss. "What's up, Professor?"

"Tracey, I need your help in convincing Ash, Misty, and Brock that an EEG is perfectly harmless. It's for the physio study."

"Oh sure," Tracey said eagerly as he started sticking the electrodes on his forehead. "We've done this once already today. It feels a little strange, but it doesn't hurt. Shall we use Venonat again, Professor?"

"How about Marill this time?" Professor Oak said as he finished hooking up Tracey to the machine. 

"Okay. Marill, I choose you!" Tracey threw a Poke ball, and a bright blue Pokémon appeared.

"Marill!" the water Pokémon cried happily. It gave its trainer a puzzled glance as Tracey began attaching electrodes to its head.

"It's okay, Marill," Tracey reassured his friend. "It feels a little tickly, but it doesn't hurt."

When the boy and the Pokémon were hooked up to the machine, Professor Oak began his experiment.

"Okay, Tracey, we'll do this the same as this morning. I want the both of you to relax and think about something happy."

"Happy…hmmm. I know! Remember yesterday morning when Mrs. Ketchum brought us that yummy banana bread, Marill?"

"Marill!" the Pokémon squeaked happily in agreement.

"That bread was so good," continued Tracey, momentarily lost in the memory of the delicious treat. "Especially after Professor Oak burned the scrambled eggs and we couldn't eat them because they tasted so awful."

"Marill," the Pokémon agreed, rubbing its tummy.

Tracey, realizing that he had just insulted his boss's cooking, looked up and saw Professor Oak frowning at him.

"That's okay, Professor Oak," said Brock. "Cooking is an art. If you'd like, I can come over and give you some lessons."

Professor Oak gave him a withering look and turned his attention back to his experiment. "Okay, Tracey, you and Marill think about something happy again. And this time, keep your comments about my culinary skills to yourself."

Tracey gulped then tried to focus on another happy memory. "Hmmm…I know. How about the time the two of us went surfing at Clementine Island, Marill? We had a lot of fun that day."

"Marill!" the Pokémon nodded as it smiled.

"There. Come here and take a look, everyone," Professor Oak motioned to the three youths that were watching the experiment curiously. "Do you see that?" he said, pointing to the pair of readouts on the computer screen.

"It looks just like a bunch of squiggles to me," Ash commented.

"Those are Tracey and Marill's brain waves. Do you notice anything about them?"

"Yeah," Misty noticed as she looked at the computer screen. "They look almost exactly the same."

"Excellent observation, Misty. You're correct," Professor Oak congratulated her as Misty smiled smugly in Ash's direction. "That's the point of this experiment. I've discovered that Pokémon and humans that share a strong bond have almost identical brain waves. And it's not just during happy thoughts, either." Professor Oak turned his attention back to his test subjects. "Okay, Tracey. You and Marill think about something sad."

"The Professor's cooking," Tracey whispered to his Pokémon, hoping that his boss wouldn't overhear. Both Brock and Misty stifled a giggle.

Ignoring the commentary about his lack of prowess in the kitchen, Professor Oak focused on the experiment once more. "See that? The brain waves are almost identical again."

Ash turned his head back and forth then nearly upside down as he looked at the wavy lines on the computer screen. He still couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Now I want the two of you to think about the most exciting battle you've had," Professor Oak told his assistant.

"How about the time we wiped out Team Rocket on Mandarin Island, Marill?" Tracey told his Pokémon.

"Marill!" the Pokémon said as a determined expression appeared on its face.

"Wow, they're in perfect sync," commented Brock as he watched the two wavy lines on the computer's screen line up perfectly. "That's amazing."

"Excellent," Professor Oak beamed as he saved the data and began taking some additional notes. "Okay, Tracey. You and Marill are done."

"I want to be next, Professor Oak!" Misty volunteered.

"No, pick me!" said Ash as he pushed his way in front of her.

"Too late, guys," said Tracey. He was already hooking up the electrodes to Brock's forehead.

"Which Pokémon would you like to study, Professor?" Brock asked.

"Well, Onix is a little bit big for the electrodes. How about one of your smaller Pokémon?" 

"I know. Go, Golbat!" Brock's large bat Pokémon appeared with a cry.

After hooking up the Pokémon to the other set of electrodes, Professor Oak began his experiment again. "Okay, Brock. I want you and Golbat to think of a happy memory that the two of you shared."

"How about the time you met Doctor Anna and Mimi?" suggested Ash.

"Who are Doctor Anna and Mimi?" asked Professor Oak.

"We met them in Johto. Doctor Anna runs a clinic in an old castle and she uses her Zubat, Mimi, to do ultrasound checkups on people and their Pokémon," Misty explained.

"How fascinating," said Professor Oak. "That's an extraordinary example of human- Pokémon cooperation. I must get in touch with her." He turned his attention back to the readout on the screen and chuckled. "Looks like Doctor Anna and Mimi made the two of you pretty happy."

"Hee-hee, Doctor Anna…" Brock blushed. 

"Okay, Brock. That's enough. Now I want for the two of you to think about something sad." When the readouts on the screen didn't change, Professor Oak looked up and noticed that both the boy and his Pokémon had goofy grins on their faces. "Brock? Did you hear me?"

Neither Brock nor Golbat responded, as both were lost in their Doctor Anna/Mimi – induced reverie.

"It's no use, Professor," Ash told him. "When Brock thinks about girls, he's in another world." 

"Or on another planet," said Misty. "Want me to snap him out of it?" she said as she reached for a nearby mallet.

"No, that's all right, Misty," said Professor Oak. "Why don't you have a try now?"

"Okay, Professor," Misty said eagerly as she helped Tracey pull the electrodes off of the love-struck Brock and Golbat. "Come on, Togepi. This'll be fun."

"Actually, Misty, I was interested in Psyduck," Professor Oak replied as he reset the machine.

"Psyduck?! You can't be serious, Professor Oak!" Misty said as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh, but I am. You see, Ash has mentioned to me on more than one occasion about the special bond that you and Psyduck share."

"Oh, he did, did he?" snarled Misty as she glared at Ash, who was suddenly very interested in the stack of papers sitting on Professor Oak's desk. "Oh, all right. Come on out, Psyduck."

The confused-looking Pokémon appeared as Misty threw her Poké ball. "Psy?"

"Okay, Misty, I want you and Psyduck to think of something that made you both happy," Professor Oak said after Tracey finished hooking up Misty and her Pokémon to the EEG.

"Any day without Psyduck is a happy one," Misty grumbled as she looked over at her dazed-looking Pokémon. "Okay, Psyduck, how about the time I thought you had evolved into Golduck?"

"Hmm, that's odd."

"What, Professor?" asked Tracey.

"Well, I'm getting a readout on Misty, but I'm not getting anything for Psyduck." Tracey looked over his boss's shoulder and saw that there was a nearly flat line under the reading labeled "Psyduck". "Tracey, why don't you check those electrodes and see if they're hooked up correctly?"

Tracey examined the leads going to Psyduck's head. "Nope. They're hooked up the right way."

"That's strange. Let's try something different, then. Misty, I want you and Psyduck to think about something sad."

"You mean, other than Psyduck's abilities as a Pokémon?" Misty replied tartly. "All right, Psyduck, how about the time that guy wanted to buy you?"

"I don't understand it," Professor Oak said as he began to click several of the switches on the machine. "I'm still not getting a reading for Psyduck. Let me try something else, then. Misty, I want you and Psyduck to think about the greatest Pokémon battle the two of you had."

"All right, how about the time we defeated Team Rocket on the _Pokémon in Love_ movie set?"

"Oh for…" cried an exasperated Professor Oak as he smacked his computer monitor in frustration. "I'm still not getting anything for Psyduck." He went over to his test subjects and started examining the leads one by one. "I don't understand it. Everything's hooked up correctly."

"Forget it, Professor Oak," said Ash. "All along we've thought that Psyduck was pretty brainless. This just proves it."

Misty gave him a dirty look as she began removing the electrodes that were attached to her forehead. 

"Well, I guess it's your turn then, Ash," said Professor Oak as he helped Tracey remove the electrodes from Psyduck and started placing them on Pikachu.

"Yeah, here you go, Ash," said Misty as she forcefully slapped one the electrodes onto Ash's forehead. 

"Yow! Hey! That hurt, Misty!" Ash shouted as he clutched his forehead.

"Now we'll see if you even have a brain," Misty said smugly as she stepped aside to let Tracey finish hooking up Ash to the machine. "The way you act most of the time, I don't think you do."

"What do you mean by that, Misty?!"

"All right, calm down, you two. Let's start the experiment. Ash, I want you and Pikachu to relax and think about a happy memory that the two of you shared."

After giving Misty a black look, Ash settled back on the couch and began to think. "I know. How about the time the two of us won the Orange League championship?"

"Pikachu!" the little yellow Pokémon agreed with a triumphant grin.

"Wow, look at that," said Tracey as he examined the readout on the computer. "They're in perfect sync."

"Amazing," commented Professor Oak as he began to take some notes. "I've never seen a Pokémon and its trainer so much in tune with each other like you and Pikachu are."

"That's because Pikachu and I are best friends. And someday, we're gonna be Pokémon Masters. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" the Pokémon nodded.

"Okay, Ash. Now I want you and Pikachu to think about a sad memory."

Ash thought for a second. "Oh yeah, how about the time I thought you'd be better off with those wild Pikachu and decided to leave you with them? I didn't think I'd be able to handle not having you around anymore."

"Pikachu," the Pokémon said softly in agreement.

Brock gave a low whistle as he looked at two waves dancing in perfect union on the computer screen. "It's like those two have almost some kind of psychic connection."

"Ash and Pikachu do have a pretty special bond," Misty admitted.

Professor Oak eagerly scribbled some more notes. "This is so fascinating! Now I want the two of you to think about one of your greatest battles."

"Gosh, Professor. There are so many that I don't know which one to think about." Misty rolled her eyes. "Wait, I know. How about when we won the Thunder Badge from Lieutenant Surge? That was one of the hardest battles we've ever fought."

Sparks started flying from Pikachu's cheeks as the Pokémon thought about defeating the Vermillion City Gym Leader's Raichu.

"Uh, Professor…" Tracey said anxiously as he watched the little Pokémon build up a powerful electric charge.

"Just a minute, Tracey," Professor Oak said as he took some more notes. 

"Professor…"

"PIKACHU!!!!" 

Pikachu then let loose with a powerful Thunderbolt that shorted out all the electrodes on the machine and blew up the computer, knocking both Professor Oak and Tracey off of their feet. Ash yelped as the electric charge surged through the electrodes on his head.

"Professor Oak? Tracey? Are you all right?" Brock asked as he helped the pair to their feet.

"I think so," a dazed Professor Oak replied. "But I can't say the same about my equipment," which was now smoking.

"Or about Ash," Misty said, pointing to the semi-electrocuted boy lying on the floor.

"Pikachu," the Pokémon said apologetically. 


	2. Chapter 2

Two hours later, Professor Oak and Tracey were still trying to repair the damage done to their electroencephalograph by Pikachu's vivid recollection of its Vermillion City battle.

"I think that got it, Tracey," Professor Oak said as he handed the screwdriver back to his assistant. 

"Got what?" said a familiar female voice.

Professor Oak smiled at the sight of the pretty auburn-haired woman and her Pokémon standing in the doorway. "Oh, Tracey and I were trying to repair the damage that your son's Pokémon did to my equipment. Although it's not entirely his fault -- I did ask them to recall one of their most exciting battles. I just didn't think Pikachu's memories would be so vivid."

"Ash was telling me that you were busy with one of your experiments," Delia replied. "That's why I brought this over." She uncovered the basket that Mimie was carrying to reveal a loaf of homemade bread. "I figured that you'd probably be too busy to eat lunch, so I made you some bread."

Tracey eagerly took the loaf from the basket. "Thanks, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm starving!"

"Starving? Why?"

"The Professor made some oatmeal this morning and it didn't turn out too well," Tracey explained as he tore off a huge chunk of bread and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Oh dear. Well, maybe I should bring over some apple pie later."

"Oh, you don't have to bother with that, Delia," said Professor Oak. "Tracey and I eat well enough, don't we?"

Tracey gave his boss a guilty look, then mouthed the word "no" in Delia's direction.

"Oh, it's no trouble. I did some baking yesterday and I have more than enough left over. Matter of fact, there are probably enough baked goodies to last you for several days."

"Delia, that's more than kind of you, but you don't have to worry about us," Professor Oak assured her, despite the fact that he was fighting Tracey for the loaf of bread.

"Nonsense. I'll bring over some pie this afternoon. And I'll stop by every day to see that the two of you are eating properly."

Tracey mouthed the words "thank you".

"So what's this?" Delia asked as she looked at the partially charred computer.

"It's an electroencephalograph. It measures brain waves," Professor Oak explained to her between bites of bread. "I've been using it to see if people and their Pokémon think alike."

"Sounds interesting," Delia said as Mimie regarded the tangled mass of electrodes curiously.

"Hey Professor, do you think Mrs. Ketchum and Mimie would like to be part of the research study?" Tracey asked as he finished eating.

"What would I have to do?" Delia asked.

"Well, if you'd really like to participate," Professor Oak said as he stuffed the last bit of bread in his mouth. "All I'd have to do is hook you and Mimie up to this machine and let it do the rest."

"Here, Mrs. Ketchum," said Tracey. "Sit down and I'll start putting the electrodes on your head."

Professor Oak snatched the mass of wires out of his assistant's hands. "Tracey, why don't you hook up Mimie? I'll take care of Mrs. Ketchum." Smiling broadly, he sat down next to her and began to carefully paste the electrodes on her forehead. "Now don't worry about a thing. This won't hurt at all."

"Ooh, it tickles!" she giggled as he brushed aside her hair and delicately placed another electrode on her head.

Tracey grinned as he watched his boss fuss over Mrs. Ketchum. He knew that Professor Oak liked her – liked her a lot, as a matter of fact. "Humans sure act goofy sometimes, don't they, Mimie?" Tracey whispered to the Pokémon as he finished attaching the electrodes to its head.

"Mime," the Pokémon agreed with a jealous glance in Professor Oak's direction.

"Now how does that feel?" Professor Oak asked as he placed the last electrode on Delia's head and let his hand linger there for a moment.

"A little strange. A bit tickly."

"Would you be more comfortable if you laid down? I'll get you a pillow," Professor Oak said as he jumped up to find the softest pillow in the house.

"Oh, you don't have to bother with that. I'm fine," Delia assured him with a smile. 

"Why don't we start the experiment, Professor?" Tracey asked. He had finished hooking up Mimie to the EEG five minutes ago.

"Oh, you're absolutely right, Tracey." Professor Oak began examining the readout on the computer. "If I may say so, Delia, you have the best-looking brain waves I've ever seen."

Tracey stifled a giggle; he couldn't believe what his boss had just said. He'd have to share that one with Ash and the gang later.

After glaring at Tracey, Professor Oak turned his attention back to his attractive test subject. "All right, Delia, I want you to relax and think of a happy memory that you and Mimie shared."

Delia pondered this for a moment. "I know, Mimie. How about last Thursday, when you and I spent the whole morning harvesting the tomatoes in the garden? We have some of the best-looking tomatoes this year, don't we?"

"Oh, you definitely have nice tomatoes," said Professor Oak with a goofy smile. Realizing what he had just said, his face turned bright red. "Uh, I mean…" Delia giggled as Professor Oak quickly focused on the readout on the screen. "You and Mimie are approaching near-synchrony. The two of you obviously have a strong bond."

"Well, of course we do. Mimie's always so helpful around the house. And he does keep everything neater than Ash."

Tracey giggled again. 

"All right, Delia, I want you and Mimie to think of something sad."

"Sad…hmmm. I know, Mimie. Remember when we spent the whole morning cleaning the house, and then Ash and Pikachu ended up tracking mud all over the kitchen?"

"Mime," said the Pokémon, recalling the many hours spent waxing the kitchen floor, only to have it ruined in a matter of minutes by a hyperactive Ash and his equally wild Pokémon.

"Near-perfect synchrony again, Delia. You're my best subject yet," Professor Oak beamed in her direction.

"Wait, Professor, I thought Ash and Pikachu's results were the best…"

Professor Oak slapped a hand over his assistant's mouth. "Never mind that, Tracey. Now, Delia, I want you and Mimie to recall the most exciting battle the two of you had."

"That's easy. Remember the time when that nasty Team Rocket stepped all over my flowers in the garden? You stopped them with Barrier, didn't you, Mimie?"

"Mime-mime," the Pokémon nodded.

"Almost perfect again, Delia," Professor Oak smiled as he made some notes then went over to her side. "Thank you for being so helpful."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," Delia said as Professor Oak began to carefully remove the electrodes from her forehead. "Actually, I'm rather flattered that you'd include me in one of your experiments."

"Well, if you'd like, I'm sure I can think of other experiments that you can help me out with," Professor Oak grinned.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Tracey murmured as he removed the electrodes from Mimie's head.

"What was that, Tracey?" 

"Uh, nothing, Professor," Tracey said hastily.

"Well, thank you again, Delia," Professor Oak said as he helped her up from her couch. "And thank you for the bread."

"I'll be sure to stop by later with the apple pie," Delia said as she gathered up her basket.

As she and Mimie left, Professor Oak turned to his assistant, who was trying hard not to burst out laughing about how goofy his boss was acting around Mrs. Ketchum.

"Tracey, I believe it's your turn to clean up after the Pokémon, isn't it?" he said as he handed his assistant a shovel. "Muk had a little accident in the living room earlier."

Tracey's smile quickly faded.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks later, an excited Tracey came running into the lab with a letter.

"Professor! They've accepted your research paper at the Pokémon Biology Conference! They want you to present it at this year's meeting!"

Professor Oak snatched the letter from Tracey and quickly read it. "Oh my. This is good news."

"What good news?" said Delia as she came into the lab with an armful of pumpkin muffins. Tracey eagerly took them from her and proceeded to eat one.

"I've been asked to present the results of my research at this year's Pokémon Biology Conference," Professor Oak told her. "It's the project that you helped me out with."

"Oh my, that must be a great honor for you," Delia said admiringly.

"Well, I did have a helpful test subject," he smiled at her, causing her to blush.

"Hey, Professor," Tracey said between bites of muffin as he read the letter. "It says that this year's conference is going to be held at the Cairo Hotel on Cleopatra Island. That's a pretty nice place. It's a great getaway for couples," Tracey said with a wink in his boss's direction.

Professor Oak felt his face go red. 

"I've heard that Cleopatra Island is really pretty," said Delia. "I've always wanted to go there."

Tracey gave his boss a "go for it" look.

Professor Oak hesitated for a moment.

__

Well, why not? Delia and I often travel together. This wouldn't be any different.

And the thought of spending a few days in a tropical paradise with a pretty woman was rather appealing, too. Especially if Delia brought along that green bikini that she wore when the two of them went to Porto Vista…

Tracey noticed that his boss's eyes had glazed over. "Hey, Professor?"

Tracey's voice snapped him out of his fantasizing. "Oh. Sorry. Um, Delia…would you like to come with me to Cleopatra Island?"

Delia's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. After all, if it weren't for your participation, I wouldn't even be presenting this paper at the conference. And I know that my colleagues would be very interested in meeting you."

"Oh, I'd love to go, but I just can't afford it right now."

"Don't worry about that. You'd be my guest. It would be my way of saying 'thank you' for helping me out with my research."

Delia grinned broadly. "In that case, I'll go home and pack right now."

"It sure took you long enough to ask her, Professor," Tracey mentioned as soon as Delia left. 

Professor Oak turned to his assistant. "Advice coming from someone who spends his off-hours hanging around Mimic Mansion but still hasn't asked Duplica out yet?"

Tracey's face turned bright red.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, I hope Ash will be all right," Delia fretted as she and Professor Oak arrived at the Cairo Hotel on Cleopatra Island. She had spent most of the plane ride over worrying about leaving her baby alone – even though Ash had been out on his own for more than a year.

"They'll be fine, Delia. You told me yourself that Mimie would take care of the house. And Misty assured us that she would keep Ash in line." 

"I guess," Delia said as the two of them went up to the registration desk. "But I still can't figure out why Brock told you that we needed protection while we were gone."

Professor Oak silently resolved to kill Brock when they got back to Pallet Town. On the way out the door, Brock had taken him aside and asked him if he had enough 'protection' for the trip.

Professor Oak's face had turned crimson with shock at Brock's comment. "Mrs. Ketchum and I are not going on this trip in order to..."

"Sure, Professor," Brock had said with a sly wink. "We all know the _real_ reason the two of you are going away together. Have a good time, you two. And be careful!"

"Are you all right, Samuel? Your face is all red," Delia observed.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said hastily. "Let's get checked in." 

"Welcome to the Cairo Hotel," the pleasant-looking young man at the registration desk smiled. "Do you have reservations?"

"Yes. Professor Samuel Oak and Mrs. Delia Ketchum."

"Hmmm…I'm showing a reservation for Samuel Oak, but not one for Delia Ketchum," the young man said as she checked his computer. 

"Well, check again. There should be two separate rooms."

"Sorry. There's only one reservation for Oak. None for Ketchum."

"Oh no. What are we going to do?" Delia said with a worried glance in her traveling companion's direction.

"I made two reservations the other day," Professor Oak insisted. "One in my name and one in Delia Ketchum's name."

"That's the problem, then," said the receptionist. "The Pokémon Biology Conference already made a room reservation in your name because you're one of the guest speakers. When you called the other day, the person who answered must've thought that you were confirming your reservation."

"Well, that's all right, Samuel," said Delia. "I can just get another room."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we're completely booked up for the conference," the receptionist informed her. "We don't have any available rooms right now."

"Well then, I'll just stay at another hotel."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there aren't any other rooms at any of the other hotels on the island either. They're all booked up because of the conference."

"Now don't panic, Delia," Samuel said when he saw her crestfallen face. "I'm sure we can think of something. Wait! I know." He turned back to the receptionist. "Would there be an extra charge if Mrs. Ketchum stayed in my room?"

"No, the price would still be the same."

"Oh, Samuel, you don't have to…"

"Nonsense, Delia. It's no trouble at all. And it looks like we don't really have a choice," he said as he handed the receptionist his credit card. 

"You're so sweet to go to all this trouble for me, Samuel," Delia smiled. "I'll have to find a way to make it up to you."

The receptionist gave him a "bet I know how she's going to make it up to you" look as he handed Professor Oak the room key. "Your room is 208. Enjoy your stay."

"Really, Samuel, you didn't have to go to all this trouble for me," Delia continued as he helped carry her luggage down the hall to their room.

"Delia, it's no trouble, really. Besides, hotel rooms always have two beds…" He paused in mid-sentence as he opened the door to their room. "Except this one." 

The two of them stared at the king-sized bed sitting in the middle of the room. 

Delia finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "That's all right. You take the bed, and I'll sleep in this chair." She plopped down in the chair next to the window.

"No. I won't hear of it. You take the bed, and I'll sleep in the chair," Samuel said as he helped her out of the chair.

"No. You can't do that. Not with your back problems. I'll sleep in the chair," Delia insisted as she sat back down.

"No, I won't let you be uncomfortable," Samuel insisted. "I'll take the chair."

"No. You'll hurt your back."

"I'd rather have a sore back than let you sleep in that chair. Now get up."

"No."

"Delia, please?"

"No," she said stubbornly.

The two of them glared at each other for a moment. Neither one of them would give up the chair without a fight.

"All right, I have an idea," Delia said as she reached into her purse. "How about we toss a coin for it?"

"Sounds fair."

"You call it," Delia said as she flipped the quarter.

"Heads."

The two of them watched as the quarter fell to the floor and rolled into the air vent.

"That was my last quarter, too," Delia said as she watched it disappear with a _clang_.

"I'll take the chair," Samuel said as he reached for a pillow.

Delia's face suddenly brightened. "Wait, I have an idea." She went over to the bed, removed the bedspread, rolled it up lengthwise, and put it in down the middle of the bed. "There. Now we can share the bed. You have half and I have half."

"But what if we get cold during the night? Won't we need the bedspread?" Samuel asked.

"Oh, we won't get cold. Not with two people sharing the same bed. There will be plenty of body heat to keep us both warm. Speaking of which, it's been a long day. Guess it's time to turn in," Delia yawned. "After all, you need your rest for your big presentation tomorrow. Do you want to get in the bathroom first?"

"Uh, no…that's all right. You can go." He was still somewhat distracted by Delia's previous remark.

Delia picked up her travel bag and disappeared into the bathroom. Samuel was busy unpacking when Delia emerged fifteen minutes later wearing a short pink nightgown. 

At the sight of Delia in the sexy lingerie, Samuel's mouth fell open.

"Oops, I didn't mean to make you drop your pants," Delia said as she bent over to pick up the item he had let fall to the ground, allowing him a nice view of her cleavage as she did so.

"T-thanks," he stammered as he continued to stare at her. 

"You're welcome," she smiled as she handed him back the piece of clothing he had been in the middle of unpacking. She then kicked off her slippers and got into the bed.

"Do you always wear things like that to bed?" Samuel asked once he had regained his voice.

"No. Usually I sleep in an old T-shirt, but since the weather's so warm here in the islands, I thought I'd bring something a little more lightweight. It is pretty hot tonight, don't you think?"

"Oh yes, it's very hot in here," Samuel squeaked. But he wasn't referring to the room temperature. 

"Why don't you get ready for bed now, Samuel?" Delia asked. "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow and you need to get some sleep."

__

Except that I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight, thought Samuel as he made an attempt to stop gawking at Delia. As he tried to focus on unpacking his suitcase, he realized that he had a problem. Since he wasn't planning on sharing a room, he didn't pack anything to sleep in. Most of the time, he just slept in his boxer shorts, but since Delia was now in the same room with him, he thought he should make some attempt at modesty in her presence. He dug around in his suitcase until he found a T-shirt, then disappeared into the bathroom. After a long, cold shower, Samuel felt that he had cooled down enough that he could handle being around Delia and her sexy little nightgown. Slipping on the t-shirt and shorts, he opened the door and saw that Delia was engrossed in a television program.

"Something interesting?" he asked as he climbed into the opposite side of the bed.

"Oh, it's just a movie," she said dismissively. "It's not very exciting."

"What's it about?" 

"It's about this girl who's in college. I guess she's having some problems because right now she's asking her professor if there's any way he can raise her grade…oh my…" 

The two of them stared as the buxom blonde on the television began to take off her clothes and the strapping young man who was her teacher began to do the same. As the two began to writhe naked atop the desk in the classroom, a shocked Professor Oak turned to an equally surprised Delia.

"Uh, Delia…what's the name of this movie?"

"I think it's called 'The Naughty Professor'. " Delia's eyebrows raised even further. "Wow, how can she do that with her tongue?"

Samuel quickly grabbed the television remote and turned off the X-rated movie. "Uh, maybe we should get some sleep now."

"Good idea," Delia said as she reached for the light next to her side of the bed. After switching off the light, she noticed that Samuel had picked up a stack of papers and was reading through them. "Aren't you going to sleep now?" 

"Oh, I will in a minute." _After I've had time to cool off again._

It was hard enough for him being in the same bed with her (especially with her in that nightgown) but the movie hadn't helped things. He had figured that re-reading his presentation for tomorrow would help him get his mind off of more exciting things. 

"Is that your speech for tomorrow?" Delia asked curiously.

"Yes. You know, I've made hundreds of these presentations, but I still get nervous every time I have to do one."

"You know, whenever Ash had to do some kind of presentation, like give a book report in front of the whole class, I'd tell him to imagine everyone in the audience was in their underwear."

"Did it work?"

"Yes," Delia smiled. "Ash came home one day and said that he started laughing in the middle of his book report on _The Caterpie in the Hat_ and couldn't stop. Maybe you should try it."

Samuel smiled at the vision of the heavyset Professor Wentworth in his underwear and stifled a giggle. "You know, Delia, I think that might work."

"Of course it works. It's always fun thinking about how people might look under their clothes," Delia said as she yawned. 

__

You're telling me, Samuel thought as he watched her stretch out underneath the blanket. 

"Well, don't stay up too long," Delia said as she closed her eyes. "Good-night, Samuel."

"Good-night, Delia," he said softly. 

Her eyelids popped open. "Oh, I almost forgot." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Everyone needs a good-night kiss before they go to bed. It guarantees that you'll have pleasant dreams." 

A stunned Samuel watched as Delia rolled over and pulled the blankets around her chin.

__

Oh, I'll definitely have pleasant dreams tonight, Samuel thought as he put aside his papers and turned out the light.

And he did. All evening he had wonderful dreams about Delia (including a somewhat naughty one in which the two of them re-enacted the movie they had watched earlier). And even though he had worried about being cold without the bedspread, he didn't get cold at all. Matter of fact, when he awoke early the next morning, he was surprised at just how warm he was. 

__

This blanket is so warm and soft, he thought happily as he snuggled underneath it. 

Then that's when he noticed that his blanket was also breathing. Samuel slowly opened his eyes and saw Delia lying asleep atop him. During the night she had rolled across the bedspread barrier between them and was now curled up against his chest, snoring softly. 

__

Okay, Samuel, don't panic. He checked to make sure that he still had his clothes on and was shocked to discover that sometime during the night his shirt had disappeared. He then ran his hand across Delia's back to make sure that she still had her nightgown on. 

__

Mmmm, that's nice, he thought as he let his hand slide across the silky material. 

__

Oh, for crying out loud, Samuel! Stop it! 

…But it's so nice holding her like this. I've dreamed about this for years.

You're taking advantage of her!

…But she's so soft and warm. I don't want to let her go.

Get your hands off of her, you pervert! She's your next-door neighbor!  
…But she's also a very attractive woman. 

And just who's the "naughty professor' now?

…Oh come on, I didn't grope her or anything. She's just lying here.

Come on, admit it. You'd like nothing more than to make love to her, wouldn't you?

…Well, I wouldn't be a man if I didn't have those feelings right now. It's a normal male physiological reaction.

And during the war with his conscience, Samuel realized that this "normal male physiological reaction" was beginning to kick in. Hoping to avoid further embarrassment, he tried to slide out from underneath her. Unfortunately, the movement also caused Delia to awaken.

"Hmm? What's going on…? Uh-oh." Delia's eyed shot wide open when she realized that she was lying in a very compromising position atop her next-door neighbor.

"Uh, good morning, Delia," Professor Oak said nervously. 

"Samuel, did you and I…? Did we…?" Delia then shrieked. "Oh no! I thought that whole 'naughty professor' thing was a dream!" She quickly retreated to her side of the bed and pulled the covers around her chin.

"What 'naughty professor' dream?" he asked.

"Oh, I dreamed that you and I…that we…you know, that movie we saw last night…" Delia moaned as her face turned scarlet.

Samuel's jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. I had a similar dream last night." 

Delia stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't think that you and I…that we…?"

"Oh no!" cried Samuel. 


	5. Chapter 5

"I've got to give my talk in fifteen minutes!" He shot out of bed and began pulling clothes out of his suitcase and throwing them everywhere. 

"Wait, I laid your clothes out for you last night," Delia said, pointing to the neatly folded clothes lying atop the dresser.

"Oh, thanks," he said as he began to hurriedly pull on his khaki slacks. 

"Don't forget your shirt," she said as she jumped out of bed and began to help him get dressed. 

"Delia, you don't have to…"

"I've had plenty of experience with this, Samuel," Delia said as she began to button his shirt. "When Ash was little, he'd always oversleep and I'd have to hurry to get him dressed before school. There. Now let me get you a comb and run it through your hair, and you'll have a few minutes left to eat." As he slipped on his shoes, Delia began combing his unruly hair. "Perfect," she smiled as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. 

"I was thinking the same thing," he said as he gave her an appreciative glance. 

Delia blushed. "You'd better hurry up and get down there. You don't want to be late for your big presentation." She handed him an orange from the fruit bowl on the table and then threw open the door. "I'll get dressed and be down there in a couple of minutes. I want to hear your speech, too. And don't forget what I told you about the underwear," she said as she shoved him outside into the hall. At that moment, two of Professor Oak's colleagues just happened to be passing by and overheard Delia's remark.

"Oh, hello, Professor Blanca, and Professor Blanca," he said nervously as his face began to redden -- the married professors had been his mentors in college. The elderly scientists gave their younger colleague a questioning look and then saw a nightgown-clad Delia waving in the doorway. Professor Inez Blanca raised her eyebrows as Professor Oak's face turned even brighter red.

"Come, dear," Professor Miguel Blanca said as he took his wife's arm and the two headed down the hallway. As they disappeared around the corner, Professor Oak overheard him say to his wife, "I have no idea what she meant by the underwear, but I can't wait to hear Sam's talk now." 

And his talk ended up going surprisingly well. At one point, he nearly broke down in laughter when he caught sight of Professor Wentworth in the third row and remembered Delia's advice about the underwear. Delia was in the audience, too, smiling at him the entire time.

"Oh, Samuel, that was so interesting!" Delia congratulated him as soon as he had concluded his presentation and joined her in the audience. 

"I thought it was very interesting, too," said a female voice as a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Both Delia and Professor Oak turned to find themselves face-to-face with a pretty bespectacled young woman with bright red hair. "My name's Mary Chatsworth," she said, extending her hand. "I have a radio show called _Pokémon Talk_."

"Oh, I've heard of you," Professor Oak said as he shook her hand. "I'm a regular listener."

"Thanks, Professor," Mary smiled. "It's nice to hear from a fan. Anyway, I was listening to your talk and was wondering if you'd like to be my guest speaker on today's show."

Delia gasped in awe. "Oh, Samuel, that's wonderful!"

"We're at the conference to check out the latest news in Pokémon research that our listeners might be interested in. I think your talk about Pokémon and trainers having similar brain waves might be of interest to our listeners," Mary explained.

"But I don't think we can make it to your studio in Goldenrod City in time for your show," Professor Oak said.

"Don't worry about that. We're broadcasting live from the conference all this week. We've set up our remote studio in the Thebes Ballroom down the hall. So, are you interested?"

"Certainly. I'm quite flattered, actually. What time do you want me to be there?"

"The show starts at noon. See you then," Mary said with a wave as she headed down the hallway.

After listening to the rest of the morning's speakers, Samuel and Delia made their way to the ballroom down the hall.

"Come on in. You're just in time," Mary said as she waved the two of them in and motioned for them to sit down at the table across from her. "Now the important thing to remember is not to be nervous. Just pretend that it's just the two of us talking in five-four-three-two…Good afternoon, fellow listeners! This is Mary Chatsworth, better known as Deejay Mary, and it's time for _Pokémon Talk_. This week we're coming to you live from the Pokémon Biology Conference on Cleopatra Island. We'll be bringing you some of the latest happenings in Pokémon research this week, so let's get started. With me today is noted Pokémon expert Professor Samuel Oak."

"Hey! Professor Oak's on _Pokémon Talk_!" Brock exclaimed as he turned up the radio in the Ketchum house. He was in the middle of making lunch for everyone.

Misty and Ash, who had been busy cleaning up after Totodile's attempt to clean the kitchen floor, dropped their mops and gathered around the radio on the counter.

"Professor Oak," Mary continued. "Please tell us about your latest research project."

"Well, Mary, my latest research involves measuring brain waves in Pokémon and their trainers. I had a hypothesis that Pokémon and their human trainers who share a strong bond have similar EEG patterns."

"And how did you go about proving that, Professor?"

"I had several test subjects in Pallet Town that volunteered for this study. Matter of fact, one of them is with me today."

"And you are?" Mary asked as she turned to the auburn-haired woman sitting next to Professor Oak.

"My name's Delia Ketchum."

"Hey, Ash, that's your mom!" Misty said excitedly.

"Mrs. Ketchum…"

"Oh, call me Delia, please."

"Okay, Delia, what did you have to do in this study?"

"Oh, not much. All I had to do was lie down while Samuel -- I mean, Professor Oak – did the rest."

Mary raised her eyebrows. "And just what did Professor Oak do to you?"

"He asked me to relax and think about things that made me happy. Then he told me that I had nice tomatoes."

Mary's eyebrows raised even further. "Oh, he did, did he? This sounds like a very interesting study."

Professor Oak's face began turning bright red. "Uh, actually, what I told Mrs. Ketchum was…" Then he realized that he really did say that she had nice tomatoes -- no way he could talk himself out of that one. "Um, never mind."

"Then what happened next, Delia?" Mary continued.

"Oh, there was nothing to it. I just relaxed and let Professor Oak do whatever he needed to with me."

"I see," said Mary with a glance at Professor Oak, who was beginning to sweat nervously at the turn this conversation was taking. "I'm curious, Delia. If the study is over, then why did you come to the conference with Professor Oak? Did he need you for further…research?"

"He said he wanted to thank me for helping him out. Matter of fact, he even insisted that I stay with him in his room."

Brock and Misty's mouths fell wide open. 

"Gee, what's wrong with you two?" Ash said as he began devouring one of Brock's bacon double cheeseburgers. "My mom and Professor Oak always travel together."

"So the two of you are sharing a room?" asked a very interested Mary. 

"Not only that, but we're sharing a bed, too," Delia continued while Professor Oak wished he could crawl under the table and die. "I tried to insist on sleeping in the chair last night, but Professor Oak wouldn't hear of it. We were pretty cozy last night, even though I had on a thin little nightgown."

While Misty doubled over in laughter, Ash started choking on his hamburger, while Brock tried to imagine what Mrs. Ketchum looked like in her thin little nightgown.

"Do you treat all your research subjects like this, Professor?" Mary asked while Professor Oak started looking for any means of escape.

"Uh…uh…" he stammered desperately, trying to think of a graceful way out of this interview.

"Well, of course he does," Delia said. "Professor Oak always gives his subjects his full attention when he's experimenting."

"And just what kind of experimenting was the Professor doing with you last night, Delia?"

__

Oh no, Delia, please don't tell her about….

"Oh, we weren't doing that last night. We just watched a dirty movie, that's all."

"Wow, I didn't know the two of them were into that kind of stuff!" an amazed Brock said as he tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Ash. 

"And just what was the title of this movie?" Mary continued.

"I think it was called 'The Naughty Professor'."

Misty roared with laughter as the piece of burger shot out of Ash's windpipe.

"Now let me get this straight, Professor," Mary said archly. "You tell one of your research subjects that she has nice tomatoes, then you invite her to a conference with you where you make her watch dirty movies and then force her to share your bed. Is that right?"

Professor Oak fell over backwards in a dead faint. So did Ash.

"Uh, looks like we're experiencing technical difficulties," Mary said quickly as she signaled to her producer to go to a commercial. "We'll be back in a minute with more of Professor Oak's very interesting research with one of his test subjects on _Pokémon Talk_."


	6. Chapter 6

"Samuel, can you hear me?" Delia asked as Professor Oak slowly opened his eyes and her face came into focus.

"What happened?" Samuel asked groggily as he looked around and realized that he was back in his hotel room.

"You fainted," Delia explained. "Two of your friends, Professor Elm and Professor Westwood, helped me carry you back to your room. Oh yeah, Professor Elm also mentioned that when you're feeling better, he wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" Samuel asked as he propped up some pillows and attempted to sit up.

"He said that he wanted to perform some research with Nurse Joy and was hoping you'd give him some ideas."

Professor Oak groaned and fell back down on the bed.

"Samuel? Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not," Samuel moaned, contemplating the total humiliation of having his colleagues think that he was a lecherous pervert who regularly molested his research subjects. "Actually, I think perhaps we should head back to Pallet Town."

"But we just got here," Delia said. "I thought you wanted to stay for the rest of conference."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Delia opened the door and a young bespectacled man in a lab coat was standing in the hallway.

"Are you all right, Professor?" asked Professor Elm. "Everyone at the conference was worried about you. We all thought you'd had a heart attack or something."

"The radio broadcast. Did everyone hear it?" Samuel asked his young colleague.

"Well, sure," Professor Elm replied. "They piped in into the conference room."

"Oh no," Professor Oak moaned and buried his face in his pillow, wishing he could die at that very moment. 

"Hey, don't get too upset, Samuel," Professor Elm reassured his friend. "Actually, we're all pretty envious of you." 

Surprised, Professor Oak looked up. "What?"

"Sure," Professor Elm continued. "At least all of us guys are jealous of you. Professor Blanca mentioned that you had a pretty woman staying with you in your room, and he sure was right." He smiled in Delia's direction. "We're pretty happy for you, really."

"Happy?" asked a now-confused Professor Oak.

"Yeah. When your wife died and you got all caught up in your work, we thought you'd never meet someone. But you sure did!" Professor Elm eyed a blushing Delia appreciatively. "So can you give me some ideas on how I can get Nurse Joy to come with me to the next conference?"

"Uh, we'll talk about it later when I'm feeling a bit better," Samuel said wearily.

"Sure. Glad to see you're all right," Professor Elm said as he headed down the hallway. "And don't worry about Professor Ivy."

"What? What do you mean about Professor Ivy?" Samuel said as his head shot up.

Professor Elm turned around and came back into the room. "She was trying to mount an inquiry into your research – sexual harrassment. But you don't have to worry about a thing now."

"Why?"

Professor Elm grinned evilly. "Because right now, Deejay Mary is grilling her about the relationship she had with one of her male teenage assistants. When you're feeling better, come back downstairs to the conference and I'll tell you all about it."

Professor Oak collapsed back on the bed. 

"What a nice man," Delia said as Professor Elm headed down the hallway and she shut the door. "So you don't have anything to worry about now. All's well that ends well – well, except for one thing."

"What's that?" Samuel asked as Delia sat down next to him on the bed.

"We still didn't figure out exactly what happened last night. You ran out of here so fast this morning that we didn't get to talk about it. I'm still kind of confused as to how we exactly ended up like we did."

"I have an idea," Samuel said as he sat up and propped his head up on the pillow. "Why don't we tell each other what we dreamed about last night and see if we can determine what exactly happened?"

"Okay," Delia said as she tried to recall the details of her dream. "I vaguely remember standing in your lab. You said that you needed my help with your latest research project. I said that I'd be willing to do anything to help you out."

"Sounds familiar," Samuel smiled.

"Then I asked you what I needed to do. You told me that you wanted me to take off my clothes, so I…well, that's what I started doing." Redness started creeping into Delia's cheeks.

"What exactly were you wearing underneath your clothes?"

Delia gave her companion a surprised look.

"Uh…for comparison purposes only," Samuel said hastily. "So far, your dream sounds a lot like mine and I just wanted to compare details." 

"Um, I think I had on some kind of pink lacy underwear, kind of like this." To Samuel's amazement, she lifted up her shirt, allowing him a tantalizing glimpse of the pink lace bra she was wearing. "But it doesn't matter, because it didn't stay on too long. And then we…well, you and I ended up on your desk and I'm sure you can figure out what happened next."

"Uh…" He was still unable to think straight after seeing Delia in her bra.

"Well, if you can't figure it out, then I'll have to show you." To his amazement, she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "You and I started kissing. First on the lips like that, then you started moving down my neck and kept going." 

"Like this?" he replied as he leaned over and began to nuzzle her neck.

"No, more like this," she said as she shoved him back onto the pillow and began nibbling his neck. "Kind of like you were trying to give me a hickey."

"So then what happened next?" Samuel asked as he let himself be subjected to Delia's vivid narrative of her dream. 

"Let's see…I think you started touching my chest next," Delia murmured as she lifted his palm to one of her breasts. "Yes, just like that."

"And then what?" he asked eagerly as he let his fingers sink into her softness.

"You told me that you couldn't wait any longer," she sighed contentedly as he began to slowly caress her.

"Then what happened next?" he whispered in her ear, eagerly awaiting her next command. 

"Then I woke up," Delia said as she jumped up and rolled off of him. 

"Oh," replied a very disappointed Samuel as his hand continued to massage an invisible breast.

"I wish I could remember what happened next," Delia said as she stared up at the ceiling. "Was your dream like mine?"

"Pretty much," Samuel replied, "Except I remember what happened next in mine."

"You do?" Delia said eagerly as she rolled over and looked at him. "What?"

"Let's see," he began as he reached over and his hand returned to its original position on her right breast. "I think the next thing that happened was that you were on top of me."

"Like this?" Delia asked as she returned to her original position atop him.

"Yes," he grinned. "But by then, neither you nor I had any clothes on."

"Sounds like a nice dream," Delia sighed as she stretched out atop him, pressed her body against his, and slowly kissed him. "Maybe we should see what happens next."


	7. Chapter 7

"So how was your trip?" asked Brock as Professor Oak and Delia arrived back at the Ketchum residence. "Misty and Ash are over at the lab, helping Tracey with Muk. They'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"Fabulous!" Delia gushed as she smiled broadly at her traveling companion. "It was one of the best trips I've ever had."

Brock, seeing the gleam in her eye, grinned. He leaned over and took Professor Oak by the arm. "So…how was it? Did you…the two of you…you know?"

Professor Oak gave the boy a withering look. "By the way, Brock, I saw an old friend of yours at the conference. Professor Ivy sends her regards."

At the mention of Professor Ivy's name, Brock let go of Professor Oak's arm and retreated cringing into the far corner of the kitchen. "T-t-t-hat name…that name…"

"Samuel, that was mean," Delia reprimanded him as she went into the living room.

"No worse than Brock asking us if we had sex on our trip," Samuel replied tersely as he followed her. He then "oofed" as he ran straight into her back.

"Delia, why did you stop…?" he asked as he rubbed his bruised nose and looked up. "Oh no." 

"Oh my," gasped Delia as she looked up at the ceiling.

Both of their faces turned crimson at the sight of the huge banner stretched across the length of the living room that read:

__

Welcome back, Mrs. Ketchum and the Naughty Professor.

THE END


End file.
